And one-fourth to jasper



1. E. EVANS. SUSPENSIQN DEVICE FOB EQUALIZING THE STHAINON ELEVAI'OR CABLf-S'.

mill l/l/ Patented Dee. 2,1919. 2 SHEETS-SHEET l APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 7 l9|6 l. E. EVANS.

su-sPENsloN nfwcg -roR EQuAuzmG THE STRAIN oN Lemos CABLES.

APPLICATION ILED SEPT-7. 1916.

- Patented Dec. 2,1919.

193239357' EET- E 2 E w f UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEIoE.

JOSEPH E. EVANS, OF BEDFORD, INDIANA,

ASSIGNOR OF ONE-FOURTH TO OLIVER N.

CLIFFORD, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, AND ONE-FOURTH T0 JASPER 0. GYGER, 0F

BEDFORD, INDIANA. l

SUSPENSION DEVICE FOR EQUALIZING THE STRAIN ON ELEVATOR-CABLES.

Specifcationof Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 2, 1919.

Application filed September 7, 1916. Serial No. 118,833.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J osnru E. EvANs, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bedford, in the county of Lawrence and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Suspension Devices for Equalizing the Strain on Elevator- Cables, of which the following is a specification.

In the various widely used' types of elevators or lifts in general-use for conveying passengers or freight from one floor of a building to another, the car is suspended from one end of a group of cables which run over a grooved pulley arranged at the top of the elevator shaft, the car being counter-balanced by weights also suspended b v cables running over a pulley at the top of such shaft. The arrangement of the pulleys and method of -counterbalancing the car differ with different makers, but in practically all cases a group of several' cables is used to sustain the car, and also the counterweight. Because of variations in the manufacture of the cables they are liable to stretch more or less unequally, with the result that all of them do not at all times sustain. an equal strain or load, provided they are rigidly secured to the car, or counterbalance. The principal object of my inventioai is to provide means for equalizing the strain upon the cables so that each will carry an equal part of the load, and in case of the breaking of any one cable the weight carried by it will be equally distributed among the remaining ones. I have further provided an automatic braking device which, upon the. breaking of anyone cable, will apply a' brake to stop the car, and in carrying out my invention I have made provision for making a record of the variation in strain upon the cables, whether due to the load carried by them or to variations in the speed of the car, or to a sudden application of the driving power to the cables to lift the car. In lone form of my device I have also made provision for cushioning the load upon the cables, whereby` liability of damage from sudden changes of strain is minimized.

My invention consists in the combination and organization of elements and of parts of the apparatus which I have devised for the attainment of the above mentioned objects, andl in various advantageous strucgiven, as more'particularly pointed out in the appended claims. i

lIn the drawings Figure l represents somewhat diagrammatically one form of elevator to which my invention. is applied; Fig. 2 is a side view, partly in section, showing the equa-lizing device alone; Fig. 3 is a sectic'n'on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a horizontal section on the line 4-4 of Fig. Q; Fig. 5 shows a pressure gageV connected to the equalizing device; Fig. 6 is a side view of a modified form of my invention adapted for use with a different arrangement of cables; Fig. 7 is a top plan View of such modified form of device; and Fig.-

S is a top plan view of a hydraulic brake forming part of my device.

The saine reference characters indicate the same parts in all the figures of the drawings.

Describing first the preferred form of my device illustrated in Figs. l to 5, the cables l by which the car 2 is suspended eX- tend to a loop which passes twice over the top of the suspension pulley 4 at the top of the elevator shaft and once below the idler pulley 5, arranged immediately below the suspension pulley. The suspension pulley will thus be formed with twice as many grooves as the number of cables employed, in the present instance six cables being used,and the cables may be divided into two groups, connected respectively ih a manner which will shortly be described, to two groups of equalizing pistons and cylinders, the members of each group' being arranged in staggered relation to the members of the other group. as indicated in Fig. 4, so that the pistons may lie in accurate alinement with the grooves of the pulley in which the cables run. As shown in Figs. 1 and 2 the two groups of pistons'and cylinders are arranged or distributed in two different lateral planes which are both tangential to the periphery of the suspension pulley 4 and lie equidistant on opposite sides of av direct vertical tangential plane through the periphery of such pulley.

The cables 1 are separately attached to the top members of piston-carrying fra-mes 6, which, as stated, vare arranged in two groups of three each, each frame consistingof a pair of side members 7 attached to a top bar 8, which bar is connected to the cable, and a bottom bar 9 pivoted to the side bars 7 and -connected to the lower end of the piston or plunger 10 which is associated with such frame. In the present instance, to rovide the most flexible swivel joint possib e, between the cable and the frame, and permit any twistin movement to which the cables may be subject to take place, each cable -end is secured to a bolt 11 which carries a bearing plate 12 provided with a ball race, and the top cross-bar 8 of the frame has secured' to it or has formed integrally with it, a correspondingbearing plate 13 formed with a registering ball race, a set of balls 14 being arranged between the bearing plates to form a ball-bearing co-nnection.

The three istons of each group are arranged to sli e within cylinders 15 formed in a casting 16, two castings being provided. one for each group. Each casting is formed with a pair of trunnions 17 near its lower end, journaled in bearings 18 secured to beams 19 which form a part of the top of the frame of the car. The castings 16 are preferably formed with vertical recesses on each side adapted to receive the side bars 7 of the frames 6. In the present instance, for convenience in manufacture, the cylinders are bored entirely through the castings and the tops of the bores closed by plugs 20. A cup leather gasket 21 is secured to the top of each piston 10 to prevent the escape of the oil with which the cylinders are filled past the pistons, and inasmuch as the tops of the cylinders are imperforate, the oil is -in this manner sealed therein with the greatest possible eEectiveness.

The cylinders of each casting communicate freely with each other through ports 22 at or near their tops, and a channel 23 isprovided affording communication between the c ylinder space and a bore 24 through one of the trunnions. A. section of flexible metallic hose or tubing 25, the interior of which is a continuation of the bore 24, is secured in a suitable manner to the truunion, conveniently, as in the present instance, by a centrally perforated clamping nut 26 screwing onto a threaded neck formed on the trunnion and clamping tightly to said neck a flange 27 brazed or otherwise secured to thc tubing. The two sections 25 are united by a T-connection 26a to a common fiexible tube 27a which is thus in free communication with all the cylinders. A pressure gage 28, havin an indicating needle 29, playing over a cloc -actuated calibrated card 30 and arranged to make a record thereon, is provided to indicate and record variations of pressure in the cylinders.

It will be understood that the intercommunicating cylinders and pipe passages leading to thelpressure gage being allv filled with oil, the pressure on the tops of the pistons is necessarily equal, and the stretching 0f any cable, -or the unequal stretching of y car standing still or traveling at a uniform speed, or vto the inertia of the car upon starting, or its momentum when stopping.

If any cable should break, the piston connected to it will sink to the lowermost position permitted by the construction of the parts,-but not outside its cylinder,-the oil from the other cylinders flowing into the cylinder affected, and the otherv pistons rising correspondingly and jointly taking up the weight before carried by the broken cable.`

' In the preferred form of my invention now being described the breaking of a cable operates to cause the automatic setting of a hydraulic brake to restrain further movement of the car. To this end communicating channels 31 are formed in each 'cylinder body, terminating in a port 32 in each cylinder wall, arranged to be uncovered bythe plunger at the eXtrem-e position occupied by it when its cable breaks. The channels 31 through a pipe 33 communicate with the brake cylinder 34 of a hydraulic brake carried by the car, the pistons 35 of which brake are coperatively connected with brake shoes adapted to coperate with fixed ways secured at the sides of the elevator shaft. In the present instance I have illustrated a suitable connection for this purpose `consisting of a double-faced cam 36 carried by the ends of the piston rods 37 each cam being arranged to coperate with the inner ends of a pair of pivoted levers 38, the outer ends of such levers being arranged, when the-brake pistons are operated, to grip the opposite sides of the inwardly extending flanges of vertical T-bars 39, arranged at opposite sides of the elevato-r shaft and serving as guides for the car. If desired, a

- pneumatic buffer may be providedY by only partially filling the cylinders 15 l@with oil, thus leaving an air space at the top of the cylinders to serve as air cushion.

In Figs. 6 and 7 I have illustrateda modified form of my invention which is adapted for use on elevators in which the cables are spaced but a'short distance apart, as in elevators in-y which the cables pass but once over the top f the driving pulley and lie 1n adjacent grooves an inch or less apart. In such a case cylinders of proper size canl the car' and anot not be aggregated in a pair of castings, as in the form of my invention hereinbefore describedf and four separate castings 40, one for each cable, and each formed with trunnions 41, areprovided, the cylinders being arranged in staggered relation on the trunnions as shown,.so that the pistons may lie inaccurate alinement with the grooves on the pulley in which the cables run. As in the preferred form of my construction heretofore described the cylinders and pistons are distributed in dierent tangential planes arranged on opposite sides of a vertical tangential plane passing through the periphery of the suspension pulley. n this modified form of my invention the trunnions are shown as formed with channels communicating with the cylinder spaces, and a different form of yielding connection to permit a free tilting movement of the cylinder castings on their trunnions is provided, consisting of vpipes 42 secured to the trunnions and each bent into a coil 43 secured to a commonpipe 44 which.communicates with the pressure gage; b`ut it will be understood that 1n either the preferred form of my invention hereinbefore described, `or in the modiiied form shown, in Figs. 6 and 7, any suitable vflexible connection permitting iiow of liquid from one cylinder to another may be employed in place of the specific forms of intercommunicating channels and tubing or pipesshown and described. A

Where one endof a group of cables is attached to the car and the other end `to the 7 counterweight, it is obviously ossible to attach the suspension devices eit er to the car or the counterweiglht, or to attach one set to er to the counterweight. Furthermore, it is obvious that while the pressure gageand the brake apparatus above described are particularly useful in elevator cars in` combination with my equalizing c linders and pistons, the latter may be used albne,"and will be highly valuable as a suspension device without the other parts of the apparatus, both in elevator cars and generally in other kinds of apparatus in which it may be useful to equalize the strain upon a grou pf cables.

I cllaim:

1. A suspension device for connectin an elevator car or the like to hoisting ca les, comprising a plurality of pistons and a corresponding plurality of intercommunicating cylinders, one set of elements being flexibly attached to the car and the other connected to the cables and said elements being distributed in different lateral planes tangential to the suspension pulley.

2. A suspension device for connectin and elevator car or the like lto hoisting ca les," comprising a plurality of pistons and a corresponding plurality of intercommunicating cylinders, said cylinders being pivotally attached to the car and said pistons being connected to the cables and said elements being distributed in different lateral planes tangential to the suspension pulley. 4

3.v A suspensiondevice for; connecting an elevator car or the `like to hoisting cables comprising a plurality of'pistons, 'a corresponding plurality of intercommunicating cylinders,'said cylinders being-secured to the car and having closed upper ends and said pistons being connected adjacent their lower ends to the'cables. A. I

4. A suspension device for connecting an elevator car or the like to hoisting cables, comprising a plurality of pistons, a corresponding plurality of intercommunicating cylinders, said cylinders having closed upper ends and being pivotally attached to the car, and said pistons being connected ad- I 5. A suspension device for-connectin an elevator car or the'like to hoisting ca les,

comprising a plurality'of pistons and a corresponding plurality of intercommunicating cylinders, said cylinders being p ivotally attached adjacent their lower ends to the car and said'pistons being connected adjacent their lower ends tothe cables and said elements being distributed in different lateral planes tangential to the suspension pulley.

6. A suspension device for connecting an elevatorcaror the like to hoisting cables including a plurality of pistons and -a correspending plurality or intercomnlunicating cylinders, said elements being arranged in two groups in staggered relation and one set of elements being secured tothe car and the other set to the cables. 7.

7. A suspension device for connectin an elevator car or'the like -to hoisting cables,

comprising a plurality of frames swiveled to said cables, a corresponding plurality of pistons pivotallymounted on said frames, and a corresponding plurality of'intercomnlllunlcatmg cyllnders pivotally attached to t e car. v

8. A suspension device for connecting an' respective y to vsaid cables, .two cylinder bodies each formed with trunnions andcylvinders, andA all ithe cylinders in both bodies v being arranged in communication with each other, said pistons being dis osed in the cylinders of the two cylinder odies in two groups.

l0. A suspension device for connecting an elevator car or the like to hoisting cables, comprising a plurality of pistons connected 'respectively to` said cables, two cylinder bodies .each formed with trunnions and in,

tercommunicating cylinders, said cylinder 11. A suspension device for connecting an elevator car or the like to hoisting cables, comprising a. pluralitypi frames secured to said cables, a corresponding plurality of pistons pivotally mounted on said frames, two cylinder bodies pivotally connected 'with said car and each formed with intercommunicating cylinders, all the cylinders in both bodies being arranged to ccmmunicate with each other, said pistons being disposed in the cylinders of the two cylinder bodies in two groups.

12. The combination of a. suspension device for connecting an elevator car or the like to hoisting cables comprising a plurality of pistons and a corresponding plurality of intercommunicating liquid-illed cylinders, one set of elements being secured to the car and the other set to the cables, and a hydraulic brake apparatus including a brake cylinder arranged to be placed in communication with any one of said liquid-filled cylinders upon excessive movement of the piston in said cylinder.

13. The combination of a suspension device for connecting an elevator car or the like to-hoisting cables comprising a plurality of pistons and a. corresponding plurality of intercommunicating liquid-filled cylinders, one set of elements being secured to the car and the other set to the cables, and a hydraulic brake apparatus connected in com- Inon to said liquid-filled cylinders and arranged to brake the car upon excessive movement of any piston.

14. The combination of a suspension device for connecting an elevator car or the like to hoisting cables comprising a plurality of pistons and a corresponding*plurality of intercommunicating liquid-filled cylinders, one set of elements being secured to the car and the other set to the cables, and a brake apparatus coperatively related to all of said pistons and arranged' to brake the car upon excessive movement of any piston.

15. The combination of Aa suspension device for connecting an elevator car or'the like to hoisting' cables comprising a plurality of pistons and a-c'orresponding plurality of intercommunicating liquid-filled cylinders, said cylinders being pivotally attached to the car and said pistons-being connected to the cables, and a hydraulic ibrake apparatus including a brake cylinder, said first-mentioned cylinders being each formed with a .port uncovered by the piston in said cylinder upon excessive movement of each piston and there being a channel connecting said port and said brake cylinder.

16. The combination of a suspension device for connecting an elevator car or the like to hoisting cables comprising a plurality of pistons connected respectively to the cables and cylinder bodies formed with cylinders and having trunnions pivotally secured to said car, there being a cylinder for each piston and the cylinders all communicating with each other and each cylinder being formed with a port uncovered by its piston upon excessive movement of such piston and one trunnion of each cylinder body being formed with a channel in communication with each cylinder port therein, and a hydraulic brake apparatus including a brake cylinder in common communication with the channels in the trunnions'of the cylinder bodies.

17. The combination of a suspension device for connecting an elevator car or the like to hoisting cables comprisingl a plurality of pistons and a corresponding plurality of intercommunicating liquid-filled cylinders, one set of elements being secured tothe car and the other set to the cables, a hydraulic brake apparatus including a brake cylinder,

each of said pistons being arranged to govern communication between its liquid-filled cylinder and said brake cylinder, and a pressure gage in communication with the body of liquid in the cylinders.

JOSEPHE. EVANS.

Witnesses:

BEN` F. HARRIS. J. C. AsKEw. 

